C1114 Come Back!!
The mournful cries of countless lost souls erupted from the depths of the Soul Transformation Pool. The spirits of those who had perished in the Plover Realm did not scatter into the cosmos but were seemingly gathered by the Soul Transformation Pool, yet to be refined, with traces of their spiritual consciousness still lingering. They wailed and shrieked, desperate to escape the confines of the pool, but their efforts were futile.
With a whoosh, a dark cauldron hovered above Yu Yuan's head. As he stepped onto the pool's floor, he connected telepathically with Yu Yiyi. The meridians in his chest, opened by the essence of the Yin Sunflower, began to exude a gentle, yielding aura. In an instant, a torrent of incorporeal Evil Devils cascaded down, each unrefined and without a physical form, settling into his acupoints as if deities returning to their rightful thrones.
These formless Evil Devils, manifestations of the soul, followed Yu Yiyi's guidance within the worlds of his acupoints, merging with them and providing Yu Yuan with a continuous flow of soul energy. As Yu Yuan descended, the Soul Transformation Pool, emanating dark soul energy, glowed with a vibrant scarlet light from the sword marks on its walls.
Yu Yuan, with a flicker of thought, drew his scabbard and cradled it in his hands. The sword marks etched into his arm bones seared with heat, siphoning his blood, Qi, and pure spiritual force, while a crimson sword radiance began to coalesce within his veins.
He inhaled deeply, realizing that he could endure the drain of blood and spiritual force. However, his soul energy was severely lacking. His true cultivation level was merely at the Soul Wandering Stage, and his soul's refinement and accumulation paled in comparison to those with a flesh and blood body fortified by the Life Altar.
Thankfully, Yu Yiyi had anticipated this. She had arranged for a host of soul-devouring devils to reside within his acupoints, providing him with the necessary support whenever his soul power waned, ensuring he never reached the brink of soul exhaustion.
In the pool's four corners, the Divine Soul Sect's four formidable guardians, led by Tianzang, maintained a vigilant watch, allowing no room for negligence.
Chen Qinghuang, commanding the Destruction Fortress, wore a look of utmost gravity beneath the beaded curtain. Having reached her conclusion, she spared no further glances for Yu Yuan.
Her focus was riveted on Asura King Sabonis within the Golden Chariot.
At that moment, Sabonis was skillfully refining his vital energy and blood to forge a golden broadsword from a hundred types of gold metal, wreaking havoc upon the Holy Mountains manifested by President Lyi's Dharma.
Mountains crumbled, cleaved, and shattered.
President Lyi, drawing upon the gold metal abilities emerging from his throne, tirelessly mended the fractured Holy Mountains, restoring them to their places.
Their battle raged on unabated, with Sabonis firmly holding the advantage.
Once Yu Yuan had seated himself at the Soul Transformation Pool, the Asura King became aware of the Divine Soul Sect's intentions.
"They aim to reclaim that sword."
In the Asura King's icy gaze, a stillness like that of a dead pool betrayed little emotion.
With a slight frown and a shake of his head, he lamented, "Without the Divine King's presence, the Divine Soul Sect expects to retrieve the sword from my Dark Domain with just two at the Peak of the Unrestrained Stage? They underestimate me."
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Golden arrows burst forth from the Golden Chariot below him, speeding toward the Destruction Fortress, intent on severing any obstruction.
Simultaneously, the colossal golden sword, in concert with the arrow barrage, furiously sliced through the Holy Mountains shaped by President Lyi's Dharma, severing several summits in a flash.
Fine cracks appeared on the golden throne that bore President Lyi's Dharma.
Clearly, once the Asura King exerted his full strength, President Lyi, still short of attaining the Primordial Spirit, could not contend with Sabonis despite the strategic advantage and Jun Chen's Constellation Formation.
Sabonis's forceful strike was designed to prevent President Lyi from intercepting the golden arrow storm.
His intent was clear: to use the golden arrows to obliterate all life in the vicinity of the Destruction Fortress.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Aura Altar, upon which Tianzang stood, cast a viscous blue shadow from the Muddy Devil Embryo below, shrouding the Destruction Fortress, Soul Transformation Pool, the Green Incubus, the Sky Shocking Emperor, and Heixun within its dark embrace.
Golden arrows pierced the Muddy Devil Embryo, each one eroded by the myriad impurities and toxins within.
The Aura Altar, a War God Artifact, was forged by the entire Outland Devaputra Race, channeling their collective strength into its creation. Tianzang, the true master of the Aura Altar and a Ghost King well-versed in the Devaputra's secret soul arts, barely managed to fend off a barrage of golden arrows unleashed by Asura King Sabonis.
Yet, the Muddy Devil Embryo was left riddled with holes, resembling a nest of worms.
"Summon the Divine Sword!" Tianzang's voice, muffled with effort, called out to Yu Yuan from within the Muddy Devil Embryo.
This was because Asura King Sabonis had abruptly ceased his assault on President Lyi and, aboard his Golden Chariot, was now charging toward the Destruction Fortress.
At the Soul Transformation Pool's depths, Yu Yuan gripped his sword sheath, his body enveloped by a cascade of crimson sword light. Squinting, he sensed the pool's amplification of his soul power. The numerous Evil Devils that had settled in his meridians provided him with an overwhelming surge of soul energy and heightened awareness. Guided by the sword soul, he swung his blade, unleashing a powerful cry from his soul.
A swath of scarlet sword light, broad as a river, burst forth from the Muddy Devil Embryo and cleaved through the darkest depths.
The darkness surrounding the Death Nest, like an immense black ocean, was bisected by the expansive scarlet sword river. The nest of the Secular Bird, once obscured in the pit, was now starkly visible.
The infinite darkness was split in two by the crimson sword river, which, driven by the sword's intent, continued to force the shadows to recede.
Nearby, a host of Seventh Level Asura warriors were obliterated by the sword's radiance.
From the unseen depths, a piercing scream echoed from Lim Zhuyun, seemingly struck by the sword light as well.
Asuras of the Ninth Level, like Fernand, recoiled from the Death Nest in terror, their bodies marked with wounds of varying severity, clearly inflicted by the sword's glow.
Yu Yuan, empowered by the Soul Transformation Pool and the Devil Souls within, let out a resounding cry.
And then, all at once, the cry ceased.
It seemed as if the Dragon Slash Platform, hovering above the Death Nest, had engulfed it whole. After the absorption, the peculiar Divine Stone amplified its power more than tenfold, bestowing upon it the residual abilities of the Space-time Dragon.
"Come back!"
The cry that pierced through the boundless expanse was amplified by the Dragon Slash Platform and directed toward the border between the Death Nest and the Frost Well in the Dark Domain.
Suddenly, the enigmatic Dark Domain echoed with innumerable calls to return.
For the creatures of the outside world, this strange land was nearly impenetrable, a place of pure darkness where cataclysmic shifts occurred unseen by the inhabitants of the Plover Realm.
In the Soul Transformation Pool, Yu Yuan, following the guidance of the sword soul, swung his sword in a seemingly fated act. After his shout, he collapsed to the ground, feeling utterly drained.
The malevolent spirits that had taken residence in his acupoints seemed to have depleted their soul energy, one by one returning to the miniature cosmos within the cauldron.
The sword marks on the pool's wall remained profound, yet they no longer emitted a crimson glow.
Yu Yuan gripped the sword sheath, which now lacked even a sliver of sword light. His arm bones were still uncomfortably hot, the sword soul within him still yearning desperately for something, yet not a trace of sword power remained in his veins.
With a single stroke, he had summoned every ounce of strength available to him—and even that which was not.
That one stroke cleaved through the darkness, revealing the nest, the Dragon Slash Platform, and the Frost Well within the Dark Domain, and with it, a mysterious Soul Sound was delivered to the Dragon Slash Platform.
Squinting, the strange Divine Stone briefly became the embodiment of his consciousness.
Through the Dragon Slash Platform, he sensed the Dark Domain.
His soul, as if adrift in the frigid darkness, felt an ice mountain shaped like a colossal blade tremble violently.
Then, massive blocks of ice were dislodged from the mountain, gradually unveiling its true form...
It was a gargantuan Divine Sword of unparalleled sharpness!
The Divine Sword was absorbing the thunderous "come back" calls from within the Dark Domain, like a slumberer roused from a millennia-long sleep by persistent whispers.
Each "come back" resonated within the Divine Sword, perceived and accepted by its essence.
Throughout this process, the scorching sensation in Yu Yuan's arm bones, influenced by the Frost Energy of the Dark Domain, began to subside, no longer searing hot.
The sword soul's longing reverberated with its spirit, undergoing eerie transformations.
It was weakening, fading, or more accurately, it was drifting away from him...
Some time later, Yu Yuan could no longer sense the presence of the sword soul. Yet, through the Dragon Slash Platform, he was aware that the Divine Sword in the Dark Domain was subtly contracting and altering.
As the Divine Sword diminished, a fierce sword intent capable of ripping through the void grew stronger!
Yu Yuan paused, taken aback, then quickly realized what was happening and turned to Tianzang, his face etched with fury.
The sword soul had been mysteriously drawn out from the bones of his arms. It traveled through the Dragon Slash Platform and the concealed passageway connecting to the Dark Domain, entering the enigmatic realm and the heart of the Divine Sword.
He had acquired the sword soul in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, and it had been by his side ever since, aiding him innumerable times. But now, it had departed, seemingly severing all ties with him.
How could he not be enraged?
He suspected that the mastermind behind the Divine Soul Sect was exploiting the situation to seize the Optimus Sword.
"The sword soul must enter the Dark Domain; otherwise, the Divine Sword cannot return on its own," Tianzang explained calmly, his demeanor unchanged. "Rest assured, this Divine Sword will belong to you and you alone."
Meanwhile, the Asura King, traveling in his Golden Chariot, was fiercely intercepted in the skies by Lvliu, Beru, Mia, and Zhongli.
"Commence a bloodbath in the Plover Realm for your king!"
